The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has told sportscotland that it must value hillwalking and climbing and not ignore these activities in favour of competitive sports. The MCofS was responding to a consultation on the future strategy the sports body, sportscotland, which guides the development of sport in Scotland and is a major funder of clubs and societies, including the MCofS.
In its response statement the MCofS said, “We agree that sport provides a valuable vehicle for bringing people together and empowering individuals and communities. However, we believe that sportscotland’s strategy should recognise and encourage the many clubs which are not based around purely competitive activities. There are over 130 hill walking and climbing clubs in Scotland which have differing origins and traditions, from employer-based clubs to groups of parents with children, and groups of friends.”
The MCofS was also keen to make the point that people need skills and information to help them enjoy Scotland’s mountains safely and that sportscotland should support the ongoing provision of skills and information. At the moment sportscotland funds the provision of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service and the Mountain Weather Information Service, the latter also receives funds from private companies. The MCofS provides a large number of safety and skills courses.
In general the MCofS is critical of sportscotland’s focus on improving performance in medal and competitive sports and the MCofS is keen for the sports body to recognise the contribution of hillwalking and climbing to the nation’s health and to the economy. For more detail on the MCofS response and a link to the full sportscotland consultation strategy see the MCofS website.